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(More customer reviews)Pearl Fryar is an extraordinary man, self-made to be sure. The son of a sharecropper, he seemingly has an innate sense about the way plants grow, blessed with a keen, artistic mind. Combined, these talents have made him almost obsessed about turning his modest, 3-acre property in tiny Bishopville, South Carolina into a work of topiary art. Using cast-off plants from a local greenhouse, he creates and beautiful Eden in his backyard. The film is a paean to his efforts, his vision and his effect on his community.
There's a tendency to see Pearl as a sort of backwoods topiary savant. But listen to him speak to college art classes, and you will hear a articulate man who embodies the artistic impulse and inspires students to leave their sketchbooks behind and reach into their hearts. He may not have gained his knowledge from textbooks, but from Nature itself, the source of the textbooks. The film interviews Pearl, his wife and son, neighbors, his pastor and his many friends. The "best supporting actor" has to go to the head of the local Chamber of Commerce. Though his feet-on-the-desk, salesy manner might remind some of Uncle Kip in "Napoleon Dynamite," he sems truly appreciative of Pearl and his potential to bring a few more touirists into town.
Played as a fiction, "A Man Named Pearl" would have been set as a standard against-all-obstacles story. This film is not so craven as to invent huge villains for Pearl to overcome. The standard demons of lingering racial stratification, self-esteem, community doubt and the clock will have to do. A fine film that shows what human bengs are capable of when given the light, air and space to grow. Kind of like plants.
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Balanced gracefully on a ladder, deftly carving with his electric hedge trimmer, Pearl Fryar has the elegance and strength of a dancer. He is, by contrast, a topiary sculptor, an artist whose medium is discarded or junk plant life and whose canvas is his magical and fantastical garden. A MAN NAMED PEARL chronicles the story of Pearl's dazzling garden as well as his extraordinary life, both of which serve as inspirations to his family, his community, and the thousands of visitors who come to experience Pearl's world each year. The film traces Pearl's journey from a small town sharecropper's son to an internationally-acclaimed artist, focusing in particular on his position as the celebrated cultural and spiritual icon of his impoverished town. Now 68, the soft-spoken Pearl has just one wish for all those who wander through his living art; they must leave feeling differently than when they arrived.Stirring and profoundly uplifting, A MAN NAMED PEARL offers a captivating window into the life a man who turned obstacles into breathtakingly beautiful possibilities.DVD Features: Bonus CD with the Original Film Score by Composer Fred Story; Pearl Fryar & Co-director Scott Galloway Update; Composer Interview; Filmmaker BiosQ&A with Pearl Fryar What was your first thought when you were approached about making the film?I didn't really want to do it - I wasn't sure my story was long enough or interesting enough to make a whole movie about me, that they couldn't get enough material to make it - they had to come ask me twice to do this and then I wasn't sure they could raise the money to film it - but it all worked out and I am happy they did it. I'm happy that other people wanted to hear my story and see my garden.
How has the film changed your life and your garden?
I've had more visitors to the garden than I ever expected - some days I don't even make it into the house for meals because so many people are stopping by - the film has given the garden national attention - I've had visitors from all 50 states and many from Europe. The exposure from the film has been unbelievable - you know I've never advertised the garden, never put up signs, but people keep coming. The movie came along at the right time - the attention and publicity has changed my community - it has brought people together and my neighbors are proud of what we've done here in Bishopville. It just goes to show you that when things are done in a positive way, they can have a positive effect on others. The other thing the film has done for the garden is the idea of trying to save it - I'm going to be 70 years old and I was beginning to think I couldn't keep it all up - it's not an easy garden to maintain - my Friends group and the Garden Conservancy have helped me to get help in the garden - and a cherry picker too - so now I can spend more time talking to visitors about the reasons I created the garden in the first place - to inspire others to find their creativity and to work hard at it - to make a difference.
What do you spend most of your time doing in the garden this time of year? Is it a busy time for visitors?
Like I said, I'm doing more tours and talking these days than I am trimming and pruning! I bet there's been a 90% increase in visitors as a result of the film being in the theatres those 5 months and now on DVD and television. The Waffle House has been busier than ever too - and so have other businesses in the area. The film has been good for Bishopville.
Do a lot of people come to you with gardening advice?
People ask me how I did certain things - like my exposed trunks and the fishbone technique. I can't really give advice because I broke all the rules - I didn't know what the rules were when I first got started, but I've always been creative and I can work with my hands - I'm pretty good at figuring things out - like my fountains and my junk art - I just have an idea and I work at it- it takes a lot of patience too - I guess that would be my advice to people who see the film and visit the garden - be patient and work at something until you figure it out - you don't have to do things by the book - but you do have to believe in your own abilities - and you need help from your friends.
What's your advice to someone with no experience in gardening who wants to give it a try?
Do it for yourself, not for your neighbors- garden for yourself. A garden should represent you - your personality and should be different from others. Even if you can afford to have someone create and take care of your garden, save a corner just for you - for what you want to do, to express yourself and your feelings - even if it is junk art. My advice is to create a garden with a feeling - with a purpose - that when someone visits your garden they walk away with a feeling - they may admire what you've done, but they can't walk away and copy it - no one can do exactly what you can do.
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